White Deer Academy. Back Mountain.
Li Xiaofei arrived at the Cemetery of the Ancestors. In the past, he wouldn’t have noticed anything out of the ordinary if Liu Shaji hadn’t taken the initiative to summon him.
But now, Li Xiaofei’s cultivation had already reached the Black Hole level. Not only was he unrivaled on Planet 89876, but there was no one who could match him across the entire realm of one hundred thousand Earth-like worlds.
Yet when he returned once more and sensed the aura of the Cemetery of the Ancestors, a trace of surprise appeared on his face. Once again, he sensed nothing at all. That wasn’t right. There were clearly so many ancestral soul remnants resting within the cemetery. He had thought that he would surely perceive something different with his newfound strength. So why did it still feel so utterly mundane?
Can it be my strength... still isn’t enough?
Li Xiaofei walked up to Liu Shaji’s grave. Liu Shaji’s tombstone let out a soft whoosh and began to sink into the ground as if sensing his arrival.
Li Xiaofei reached out and grabbed it. He then took out a fine wine he had brought from Chongque City, knocked lightly on the tombstone, and said, “Old brother, come out for a drink.”
Liu Shaji’s soul manifested right then and there like a puff of blue smoke.
“Good wine, damn good wine.” Sniffing greedily, Liu Shaji wore an expression of utter longing as he said, “Ever since I died, I haven’t smelled anything this fine. Quick, pour a little on my grave, let me have a taste!”
Li Xiaofei did as instructed.
“Ahh, that’s the stuff... it’s been so long,” Liu Shaji sighed in bliss, his face full of intoxicated delight.
He had always been a drunkard. In fact, his first encounter with Li Xiaofei had happened over drinks. After all these years, the mundane wines of Earth held no appeal to him. The wine Li Xiaofei had brought from Chongque City wasn’t extraordinary in his eyes either, but at least it was enough to scratch the itch.
After basking in that pleasure for a long while, his gaze finally turned toward Li Xiaofei. He nodded approvingly and said, “Mm, you’ve made progress. Seems like you’ve had another great opportunity. You’re now qualified... to enter the Star Battlefield.”
Liu Shaji didn’t seem too surprised by Li Xiaofei’s explosive rise in strength. He knew this man was one of the Chosen.
People like him, just like Ye Qingyu, Li Mu, Ding Hao... were all favored by the heavens themselves. Whether in terms of fate, opportunity, or sheer strength of will, they far surpassed even the most elite of geniuses. Even becoming a Saint overnight wasn’t out of the question for them.
“I came here precisely to seek guidance from the seniors,” Li Xiaofei said directly. “The situation in Chongque City has been settled. Former City Lord Song Jinglun has been slain and I am now the acting city lord. The High Chancellor once stationed there by Heaven... intends to search for the lost Heaven.”
He briefly explained everything that had happened. The reason he hadn’t gone to find Li Lan and the others right away was simple. He had clearly sensed that Li Lan held a higher status and radiated greater authority. She had likely been a leader in life. So before he could ascertain her stance, it felt safer to approach someone like Liu Shaji, one of his rough, straightforward brothers-in-arms.
“So Heaven really has been lost...” Liu Shaji muttered, looking up toward the sky.
His expression changed rapidly as though something had come to mind. Intense anger flashed across his face, then deep worry. Li Xiaofei instantly realized that Liu Shaji definitely knew something. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ noⅴelfire.net
“This matter is no small thing,” Liu Shaji said, steadying his thoughts. “It must be discussed with Her Excellency Li Lan and the others.”
His expression grew solemn. The playful craving for wine from before had completely vanished, replaced with grave seriousness. A faint glow of energy shimmered at his fingertips and shot outward.
Soon, the entire Cemetery of the Ancestors underwent a dramatic change. A thick, milky-white fog drifted in from who knows where, curling around Li Xiaofei’s fingertips as it spread. It quickly shrouded the entire cemetery, making the already solemn and gloomy land feel suddenly mysterious and terrifying.
The mist blocked out all external perception. At the same time, something within the cemetery seemed to be awakening. Gravestones began to tremble with rustling sounds as the soil beneath them churned like waves of water.
Then, as if a great seal had been undone, a single soul emerged from one of the graves. The soul exuded an overwhelming pressure, as though celestial beings had descended upon the mortal world.
Were it not for the veil of that mysterious milky mist suppressing both the vision and the dreadful aura, Earth itself would have likely collapsed instantly beneath the weight of such power.
Li Xiaofei stood stunned, overwhelmed. He felt utterly insignificant in front of a single one of these soul entities. He felt like a speck of dust, catching its first glimpse of the stars.
Only now did he truly realize that Li Lan and Liu Shaji had restrained their strength when they revealed their soul forms in the past. One by one, the souls gathered and returned. Two women stood in front, one of them unmistakably Li Lan.
But the other’s figure was ethereal, her posture graceful and her beauty divine. She seemed to be a goddess descending from the heavens. She radiated an unmatched elegance and majesty with each step she took. It was a kind of nobility beyond words, a presence that made all other women seem pale in comparison.
The moment Li Xiaofei laid eyes on her, a line of poetry surfaced in his mind without warning, The clouds yearn for her robes, the flowers for her face; in the breeze of spring, her beauty grows ever more radiant.
Even Li Lan, with all her poise and presence, seemed half a notch beneath this woman in both bearing and beauty.
Could this be the one buried beneath the tombstone bearing the name Hua Xiangrong?
The other soul forms varied, men and women alike, but every single one of them possessed the aura of celestial kings. Li Xiaofei felt nothing but awe. Even titans like Song Jinglun or the former High Chancellor of Heaven paled in comparison to any one of these souls before him.
“Junior Li Xiaofei greets all the seniors,” said Li Xiaofei as he bowed respectfully, his manners impeccable and his demeanor filled with humility.
Beyond the sheer power these soul entities possessed, there was another reason for his reverence. He had already guessed that, like Liu Shaji, these individuals had all died fighting for the sake of the human race. They were true ancestors, worthy of the highest respect in every form.
Li Lan gave a faint nod in response. The gazes of all the gathered soul forms turned toward Li Xiaofei.
Liu Shaji spoke up, “Everyone, the time has come.”
Li Lan nodded as she continued, “The Chosen One has already reached the Yin-Yang Realm. This marks the day of our awakening and return.”
A soft stir of murmurs rippled through the gathered souls. Li Xiaofei could clearly feel their excitement and anticipation. It was like a band of old soldiers who had long been resting behind the lines, suddenly hearing that they could return to the battlefield. They were unable to contain their inner fervor.
But what exactly is this Yin-Yang Realm? Is it referring to the Black Hole level of a cosmic lifeform? He had a vague guess in his heart.
Liu Shaji turned to Li Xiaofei and said, “Brother, tell everyone about the situation outside.”
Li Xiaofei nodded and recounted the events that had transpired in Chongque City.
“So it’s truly time, then,” said a soul that took the form of a student, his voice trembling with excitement.
Another soul, a slender woman with pale yellow hair and a sword at her waist, nodded as well. “It’s time to return. Time to set out. Time to kill the enemy.”